John 12: 20-33 NRSV
In any gathering of adults they say there are three things that cannot be talked about. You know them, right? Religion, sex, and politics. When these things are mentioned our eyes and ears come wide open and our senses come alert.
But I think they are wrong. We do talk about those things. We just do it really badly. There is, however, something we do not talk about, and that is death.
Yes, we acknowledge death when it happens but for the most part we do not talk about death with any real danger, and certainly no enthusiasm. We don’t deal with it. We deny it. We ignore it. We avoid it. No one wants to die.
The death of loved ones is too real, too painful. Our own death is too scary. The relationships and parts of our lives that have died are too difficult. So, for the most part, we just avoid the topic of death. Besides it’s a downer in a culture that mostly wants to be happy, feel good, and avoid difficult realities.
I suspect the Greeks in today’s gospel did not go expecting to talk or hear about death. They just want to see Jesus. And who can blame them?
Jesus has done pretty good up to this point. He has cleansed the temple, turned water into wine, healed a little boy, fed 15,000 men, women, and children, given sight to the blind, and even raised Lazarus from the dead.
I don’t know why they wanted to see Jesus but I know the desire. I want to see Jesus and would do a lot to get those tickets. I’ll bet you do too.
Seeing Jesus would make it all real. After all, seeing is believing, isn’t it? We all have our reasons for wanting to see Jesus. If you want to know your reasons for wanting to see Jesus look at what you pray for.
It is often a “to do list” for God. I remember, as a little boy, praying that I would get to go fishing and I would catch the big fish. Later it was for summer vacation to come soon. Then it was to join the Navy. Then it was for a deployment to end, and so on. When I had troubles I prayed that God would fix it all.
But to pray we had to bow our heads, and ask Jesus to hear us. But we need to remember to open our ears to hear His response back to us too. Experiencing things we don’t want to see or hear makes us open our eyes and ears! So it’s eyes and ears to Jesus when we pray:
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
Years ago, when the Betty Crocker Company first began selling cake mixes, they offered a product which only needed water. All you had to do was add water to the mix, which came in the box, and you would get a perfect, delicious cake every time.
It bombed. No one bought it and the company couldn’t understand why, so they commissioned a study which brought back a surprising answer. People weren’t buying the cake mix because it was too easy, they wanted to feel that they were contributing something to it.
So, Betty Crocker changed the formula and required the customer to add an egg in addition to water. Immediately, the new cake mix was a huge success.
Unfortunately, many people make the same mistake when it comes to "packaging" or presenting the Christian faith. They try to make the call of Jesus Christ as easy as possible because they’re afraid people won’t "buy it" if it seems too hard. But it’s not easy is it? Jesus tells us things that make us open our eyes and ears:
Just a few days before he was to be crucified, Jesus said, "Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!"
Jesus knew that he was going to die on the cross. He could have asked God to save him. Instead, he only asked that his Father's name would be glorified.
(BTW - Why do troubles come into our life? I believe that troubles come for the very reason that Jesus said -- so that God's name will be glorified. I have known people who followed the example of Jesus when they faced trouble in their life. I have even known people who faced death with such courage and faith that God's name was glorified. Wouldn't it be pleasing to God if all of us faced trouble in such a way that His name is glorified?)
Jesus went to explain and this is what our ears need to see, said, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies it bears much fruit. Jesus then explained what he meant.
He said, "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it." It's true in life isn't it? If we are going to get anything out of it we have to invest ourselves in it.
Do you remember the second to last album by the Beatles? It was called “Abbey Road" and it’s considered their best. The last song is a little musical reprise called "The End." It's the last lyrical statement the Beatles make on the album. And it went, "And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make."
The truth of this is written in creation. God gave us all His love, and in the end of of God’s Love is what it’s going to take to save us from our sin. It is evident for everyone to see if we listen close enough!
It even is found in something as small as grain of wheat, a seed. Jesus said, First, when a grain of wheat falls it dies. Second, when a grain of wheat falls it bears much fruit. Finally, Christ is the grain of wheat that dies and bears much fruit.
But to understand that we have to use our eyes and ears to hear and see His grace.
His grace is linked to death, resurrection, and new life. We come to him asking for life, but first must discuss and accept His death and our own as well. Amen.
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